New boating regulations ensure education, safety on the waters
The new boating law requiring motorboat operators to complete safety training goes into effect April 1. Photo by Grace Roche
The new boating law requiring motorboat operators to complete safety training goes into effect April 1. Photo by Grace Roche
A new boater safety law will soon come into effect for Massachusetts motorboat operators.
Beginning April 1, the Hanson-Milone Act requires all boat operators to complete a safety education course about navigational rules, emergency procedures and environmental protections to be licensed.
Anyone born after Jan. 1, 1989 must complete the course by April of this year, while anyone born before or on that date has until April 1, 2028 to become certified.
The course can be taken online or in person, and after successfully completing an exam participants will receive a certificate they must carry with them when boating.
Mattapoisett Harbormaster Isaac Perry said the course is important because things on the water can go “very, very wrong very, very quickly.” He said compared to operating a car, where the driver can pull off the road when conditions are dangerous, boaters can’t escape the water if there is an emergency.
“There's been a lot of incidents where the lack of basic voter education — those minor things which may seem on the outside to be very minute factors — lead towards fatalities that are easily preventable,” Perry said.
He said keeping enough easily accessible life jackets onboard is one of the most important safety features on any boat.
Marion Harbormaster Adam Murphy agreed, and said modern personal flotation devices are more comfortable and less invasive than ever and should always be readily available.
“Life jackets save lives,” he said.
According to the act, there will be no penalty enforcement for boaters operating without certification until Sept. 1. Both harbormasters said even past this date, their focus is on safety not citations.
Murphy said the Marion Harbormaster's Office uses infractions as “teaching moments” instead of taking punitive measures. While serious offenses could result in consequences, he said it is more important to ensure people are staying safe on the water.
In Mattapoisett, Perry said he will focus on educational measures and will push for awareness of the new regulations this spring.
“Getting the information out there, educating people, that's the big push,” Perry said. “We're not looking to go out there and cite people for this — at least not until we go through these couple years where they phase this in.”
